The present invention relates to railway car trucks, and, more particularly, to railway car truck bolsters having an improved brake cylinder attachment arrangement.
Railway freight car trucks are usually comprised of the three piece arrangement wherein each truck comprises two sideframes laterally spaced from each other and receiving two axle-wheelsets. A bolster extends laterally between the sideframes having its ends received in an opening in each sideframe. The end of the bolster sits on spring arrangements and usually includes damping devices to limit oscillations. A centerplate is located laterally intermediate the ends of the bolster on the top section of the bolster. Such centerplate receives the corresponding centerplate of the freight car body bolster.
Brake beams with corresponding operating assemblies are affixed to the bolster in several known methods. One attachment arrangement for a brake assembly is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,729,325, assigned to the assignee of the present invention. In such a known arrangement, three bolt receiving openings are placed in a triangular arrangement in a sidewall of the bolster, with two of the bolt receiving openings located just below the top section of the bolster and the third bolt receiving opening located laterally between and below the two bolt receiving openings. The third bolt receiving opening accordingly also passes through a wall of the bolster. Other known brake receiving arrangements include two openings extending through a sidewall of the bolster. With increased tonnage being carried by modern railway freight cars, it is necessary to provide larger size brake assemblies including large brake cylinders. Such large brake cylinders cannot be properly affixed to a bolster using only two bolt receiving holes, and would interfere with the brake operating mechanism if located in the bolt receiving arrangement with all three bolt holes in the wall of the bolster below the top section of the bolster, for certain freight car applications.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved brake mounting assembly as an integral part of a railway truck bolster.